7. Cold front passing

"The topic is well-positioned, the characters' values ​​are fully explored, the background checks are thorough, and the data is used appropriately. While the subject matter isn't earth-shattering, the combination of the key points and the characters' backgrounds makes it feasible and has some highlights." He publicly praised Chi Jin, but then changed the subject, "After comprehensive consideration, I chose Wan He's article."

Chi Jin's mouth twitched. Although she hadn't held onto much hope, Chen Yisheng's flattery truly hurt her. He wasn't going to choose her anyway, so why bother praising him before he could even start? She walked off the stage expressionlessly and returned to her seat, her nails silently digging into her palms. In her mind, she'd already tortured Chen Yisheng's stinky face eight hundred times.

Next up is the Sports Faces column, and it’s time for Chi Jin, who just left the stage, to take the stage again.

There were four editors who raised their hands to bid. Deputy Editor Fang, out of consideration for Chi Jin's voice, deliberately did not put her first. However, the good intentions backfired, as the first editor to come forward happened to have the same topic as her.

Qin Xiancheng had also seen the name of her computer document before, and immediately looked at her, his mouth shape saying "No way".

Chi Jin frowned, sensing a bad premonition. Luo Cheng's frequent exploitation victims had been Chi Jin and Team B editor-in-training Duan Xingche. This newcomer had solid fundamentals and was kind and docile, so it was probably just a coincidence.

"August 25th is the publication date, and the National Horse Racing Championship will be decided on August 24th. The three seeded runners, Sai Bo Ke, Yue Kairu, and Lu Quan, are most likely to win the championship."

The introduction was standard, nothing spectacular, but Chi Jin didn't dwell on it; what he meant was pretty much the same. She bit her lip as she listened, stunned. She could brush off her previous failure, but such a disadvantage would be hard to overcome. Given the same topic, the first speaker naturally had the advantage of being the first to speak.

The second problem is that this Xiao Duan is an intern editor. He has the same drive as Chi Jin when he first joined the team. He talks incessantly and answers questions fluently, making him a tough opponent.

Chi Jin took a deep breath and went on stage. Sure enough, a low gasp was heard in the conference room when the PPT was played.

Before she could even open her mouth, Du Yanni started to challenge her: "You and your group's interns, trainees, editors, and editors are on the same page. You really have such a good rapport."

Xiao Duan was quite nice and spoke up for her: "Sister Yanni, Sister Chi Jin and I didn't discuss this in advance. I'm just more interested in horse racing..."

Du Yanni smiled with a dagger hidden in her heart: "You are still too naive, some people..."

Chi Jin's eyes suddenly sharpened as he met Du Yanni's gaze. His voice was clear and forceful, carrying an undeniable chill. "Editor-in-Chief Du, speculation without evidence is tantamount to defamation. Although Xiao Duan and I both selected three top players as our research subjects, the core and purpose of our reports are completely different. Although the public is more optimistic about Cyberk, he has the buzz, the fans, and the traffic, but I intend to choose Yue Kairu as my topic this time."

Everyone was stunned. Since they had already listed all the advantages of Cyberk, why did they still write about Yue Kairu?

Chen Yisheng twirled his pen, his lips curled up in a barely perceptible arc.

Chi Jin quickly exchanged a glance with Chen Yisheng, then analyzed the situation in detail, speaking quickly and steadily. "There are three reasons: First, risk aversion. Sebok is extremely controversial off the court. His drinking, fighting, and chaotic personal life are well documented. His dismissal due to disciplinary issues during training abroad is also a public record. If he wins, the media will undoubtedly flock to report on the same content, making it difficult for 'Face' to break through. More importantly, if negative news about him is confirmed or even violates the law, the media that once sang his praises will inevitably be backfired by public opinion, and the credibility that 'Face' has accumulated over 30 years will suffer a severe blow."

She pulled up a new data page: "Second, our values ​​align with our readers. As I mentioned earlier in the reader portrait, Faces' core audience is a group with high levels of knowledge and cultural appreciation. We serve the purpose of conveying social values, not chasing traffic. Choosing a public figure with a controversial past goes against the magazine's original purpose and undermines its credibility. Faces' articles should not only be powerful but also warm; this is the foundation of our independence."

His voice was low, but every word resonated. Chi Jin had been lying low in the editorial department for nearly half a year, and suddenly he was so sharp that many people in the room gasped.

Du Yanni's face paled slightly, clearly touched by Chi Jin's well-reasoned and powerful analysis. However, she remained skeptical, "Nice talk! But these are just 'possibilities.' There's currently no concrete evidence that Cyberk will fail. On the other hand, Yue Kairu has a dull personality and lacks explosive potential. If we choose him over the favorite, the reports will likely be mediocre and fail to generate any buzz! We also have to be responsible for sales and click-through rates!"

"If I didn't have this confidence, I wouldn't have made such a risky decision." Chi Jin handed each editor a second sheet of paper. "The one I just shared with you was Yue Kairu's victory story. He wrote about his childhood dream, his down-to-earth efforts, his disappointing silver medal, and his perfect comeback. Now I'm sharing the story of not winning—his biggest loser. It redefines 'success' and is a great starting point."

Everyone bent their heads over the manuscript, leaving the only sound in the conference room: the rustling of flipping papers. Chi Jin stood at the front of the stage, his gaze sweeping across the group before finally resting, almost imperceptibly, on Chen Yisheng's face. It was he who had suggested Yue Kairu, and he wondered if his in-depth research had met his expectations.

A senior editor from Group A asked, "What if Yue Kairu came in third?"

Chi Jin said, "At 7:30 this morning, the third seeded athlete, who was training abroad, fell off his horse and will undergo three months of rehabilitation. He has withdrawn from the competition. The final is actually a duel between Sebok and Yue Kairu. The runner-up is the biggest loser, so the attention will naturally increase."

The editor pressed the issue, "That sounds great, but no one will know about the second place. Will readers buy into your depth?"

The balance that had originally leaned towards Chi Jin changed again, and the conference room fell silent again.

When the two deputy editors and Chen Yisheng remained silent, Jiang Xuhuan thankfully spoke up for his team members. "Three editors, I think we should seriously consider Chi Jin's topic. Cyberspace is trending online lately, but even someone like me who doesn't pay much attention to entertainment news can still find some revelations from outsiders."

"In terms of quality, Duan Xingche is indeed inferior to you." Du Yanni said softly, "Based on these two articles alone, I would choose yours. But it depends on what surprises the other two can bring."

Chi Jin finally crafted his words and said, "Please allow me to repeat my thoughts. Regarding the argument that 'no one knows the runner-up,' I beg to differ. This precisely reflects the lazy thinking of our media in selecting stories. We are all industry insiders, and you should all know the in-depth report "The 0.01 Second Gap" by "China Sports," right? At that time, all media focus was on the champion, but only "China Sports" detailed the athletes' years of training, their battles with injuries, and the technical and tactical details and psychological warfare of the competition. This report sparked heated discussion on professional sports forums, with far more readers and reposts than the championship reports of the same period. It was even selected as a teaching case by several sports colleges! Why? Because it touches on the more universal, more real, and more moving core of competitive sports - the vast majority of athletes spend their entire careers fighting to be just one step away from being 'the best.'"

"Everyone, don't just focus on first place and ignore the recognition of second place. Although we give more flowers and camera shots to first place, it doesn't mean second place will be forever pinned to a dark corner. Even if Yue Kairu did win two runner-up awards, he is still worthy of being recorded by Faces."

After a moment of silence, Qin Xiancheng took the lead in applauding and gave Chi Jin a thumbs up without hesitation.

"Well said." Deputy Editor Tang nodded. "Who's next?"

"For the second half of the month's sports column, I've decided to write about Yue Kairu in Chi Jin's article." Chen Yisheng suddenly knocked on the table, finalizing the decision. He looked at Chi Jin and uttered a few words, "Well done."

"Ah? But I still haven't heard the topics proposed by two editors."

"Let's just decide on this one. I'll be responsible if there are any problems."

It is well known that Chen Yisheng is a bad boss who is stingy with praise. This unquestionable reaffirmation and encouragement undoubtedly helped Chi Jin establish his authority in front of everyone.

She was surprised and delighted, and was about to thank him when Chen Yisheng beat her to the punch: "No need for formalities. Speed ​​up the process, next one, the public welfare face."

…

Editor-in-Chief's Office of Faces Magazine

"Editor-in-Chief Chen, thank you. I know that choosing Duan Xingche is safer and more in line with the convention of promoting newcomers." She chose her words carefully.

"You care so much about promoting newcomers?" Chen Yisheng raised his eyes, deliberately pausing. Seeing her tense up for a moment, he chuckled softly, "Just kidding. My criteria is based solely on the manuscript, not on qualifications. So what if you're new? Weren't you also a newcomer who made it to the top back then? It's because your content was solid. There's no need to belittle yourself."

"But if you hadn't suggested this direction to Yue Kairu..."

"The suggestions are just an introduction. The background checks, the opinions, the skeleton of the content are all yours." Chen Yisheng interrupted her, offering a concise and professional endorsement. "You did a really good job this time." Then, changing the subject, the criticism followed. "But a column isn't a sentimental speech where you can whip up emotions and then let it go. I have to pay close attention to the depth and accuracy of the content."

"I understand!" Chi Jin cheered up.

"Since you're here, let me take a look at the problems with your Teacher's Day draft." Chen Yisheng opened the document.

Chi Jin was stunned: "Isn't it... rejected?"

"No, it's not eligible for the August issue, but it's not a death sentence." Chen Yisheng glanced at her, the mouse cursor moving across the screen. "September's first half of the month—if you can rescue it from this pile of rough drafts."

A huge surprise filled his heart. Chi Jin suppressed the upward curve of his lips and silently performed CPR on Chen Yisheng, who had just been tortured to death in his heart.

"So you also approve of the Teacher's Day article?"

"The topic itself is fine, and Professor Liu's contribution is substantial enough," Chen Yisheng pointed out mercilessly, "but the manuscript itself is riddled with flaws: the errors and omissions pointed out by Du Yanni are merely superficial. The language is crude, the formatting is chaotic, and the content is seriously lacking in depth! You could have written a lot more if you'd delved deeper, but you were too lazy to do it. Chi Jin, you've been quite lazy during your time in Group A."

"Because it's only two days."

"Don't make excuses for lack of ability. With the same amount of preparation time, Jin Yaojia produced both manuscripts of very high quality."

Chi Jin admitted his mistake obediently: "Yes."

"Jin Yaojia joined at the same time as you. Don't you have a sense of crisis?" Chen Yisheng asked. "Putting aside other things, she got an interview with Director Gu. Doesn't that give you any inspiration?"

Gave me inspiration: compare yourself with others and the dead.

Seeing Chi Jin remained silent, Chen Yisheng highlighted the end of the second paragraph with his mouse. "You could definitely add an interview with Liu Min's students here. It's easy to get close to the water, so why not contact your former teachers and classmates?"

"Oh, that's right! I'm Zhong Xin, who was recruited by Jing Daqiu!"

If he hadn't mentioned Chi Jin, she'd almost forgotten about the rumor going around that there was an HR person at the job fair who looked like Tony Leung. She and her roommate braved the rain, resumes in hand, hoping to catch a glimpse of her, only to see Chen Yisheng, dressed like an insurance salesperson.

"We have plenty of time for the last month's issue, so don't slack off." Chen Yisheng returned to the point. "The interview process is complicated, so schedule an appointment with Professor Liu as soon as possible."

"Okay. Editor-in-Chief Chen, may I have a small request?"

"Um?"

"Can you get a few reliable proofreaders from other editorial departments? But don't worry about this one. Since I'm the column editor, I will definitely take full responsibility for it myself."

Chen Yisheng also had this idea: "Of course. But we don't want transfers from other departments. I will arrange an interview soon."

Chi Jin smiled muffledly.

Chen Yisheng was stunned: "Why? Afraid it's too late?"

"No. You just used the word 'we'. Does that mean that in your heart you have already recognized me as a member of The Faces?"

Chen Yisheng chuckled, "You, with such a rich imagination, you should probably use it on your work."

"Then I have another small request. Can Duan Xingche work with me on the column?" Chi Jin saw that he was in a good mood. "I think he has a lot of ideas and is really down-to-earth. Besides, the new proofreader hasn't come yet... I'd like Duan Xingche to help me."

She also knows how to exploit cheap labor.

"It's great that you're willing to help new people. But be careful. I don't want to hear of factionalism in the office." Chi Jin was secretly surprised: Did the sun rise from the west today? The living devil is so reasonable?

But then she thought back to her internship. Although he was merciless in scolding her, as long as she dared to think hard and produce real things, he was always the most solid support behind her.

Just as no teacher dislikes a student who studies well, and no boss dislikes a subordinate who sets KPIs, good grades are the ticket to success.